


Grab the Stars Before They Slip Through Your Fingers

by DarthAbby



Series: Our Memories are Coming Back in the Form of Someone Else [1]
Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Asexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Multi, Polyamory, ace!kate, all ItSV characters are there I just added Kate, follows movie events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-03-01 04:31:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18793045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthAbby/pseuds/DarthAbby
Summary: Peter Parker left behind his wife, Mary Jane... andtheirwife, Kate Bishop, who isn't Hawkeye quite yet.But that's not gonna stop her from trying to help all of these Parkers who are in the wrong dimension, and this scared kid from Brooklyn who could really use a friend who isn't going to leave at the end of all this.





	Grab the Stars Before They Slip Through Your Fingers

**Author's Note:**

> Wow okay I've been working on this since the first time I saw ItSV, back when it first came out, and it's finally presentable! Enjoy the way I work my fav into everything ever

Kate knows there are other universes out there - one time her doppleganger from another world crashed through with a pretty alien who can punch holes in reality. She'd convinced them to stay long enough for milkshakes - and to question the other Kate about the bow and quiver she carried.

“You mean you're not Hawkeye?”

“What's a… Hawkeye?”

They left not long after, leaving behind their empty cups and some things for Kate to mull over.

* * *

Superheroes aren't unheard of in this world - there's Spider-Man, of course, and a few others scattered around the country. The Hulk, once considered a monster, now protects the desert communities of the Southwest United States, though apparently he sometimes heads up to Canada to cool off. Iron Man retired several years back, but there are rumors that Stark is training a replacement out in California. A private boarding school in upstate New York is rumored to actually be a home for mutant kids.

Deadpool is… well, no one seems able to decide whether he's a hero or not, least of all Deadpool himself.

The only Hawkeye that Kate can find, though, is an old circus performer who did archery trick shots, usually while on either horseback or the high wire. No hero going by that name, though.

* * *

“Do you think I could be a superhero?”

MJ looks up from her book with a raised eyebrow. “Is this your way of telling me that you got bit by a radioactive spider, too?”

Kate snorts and throws the bouncy ball she'd been playing with at her wife. “No. I'm too classy for spider bites.”

MJ uses her book to block the ball. “Well, what else am I supposed to think with that kind of opener?”

“It's just a hypothetical question.”

She hums thoughtfully and closes her book. “As you are, right now? You'd get your ass kicked. But… I think you've got the heart for it. You just need the skillz.”

“With a z?”

“Of course,” MJ scoffs. “Who do you take me for, Peter?”

“What about me?”

MJ and Kate turn to see Peter climbing in through the window, pulling off his mask as he goes. “Hi, Pete,” Kate says cheerfully. “We're talking about how you're so lame.”

Peter rolls his eyes and flips off the both of them as he goes to get a drink. “Why do I still put up with the two of you?”

“Because you love us!” MJ calls, giving a wolf-whistle for good measure when he bends over to get a water bottle out of the bottom of the fridge, the Spider-Man suit accenting every curve of his ass.

Kate isn't even into all that nonsense generally, but even she knows that Peter has a nice butt.

“You're the  _ worst _ ,” Peter says, shaking his head as he stands back up, taking a sip of his water.

“But you married me, so I'm  _ your _ worst. No take-backs.”

Kate laughs as Peter rolls his eyes again. “What does that make me, then?”

“Sugar Momma.”

Kate nearly falls off the couch from laughing so hard. It's only made worse when she notices that Peter had unfortunately been taking another drink when MJ spoke and was now cursing over the feeling of water going out his nose.

“Such  _ language _ , Mr. Parker!”

“Bishop, I swear to god -” Try as he might, Peter can't trail off threateningly when it comes to Kate and MJ. The big smile on his face is just impossible to hide.

They don’t return to the question of superheroes - in fact, Kate forgets about it entirely until she happens to see an advertisement for archery classes at the local rec center.

She shrugs to herself and signs up.

Can’t hurt, right?

* * *

A year passes quietly. Kate discovers she has a natural talent for archery and is only a little surprised. She enters a few competitions - MJ makes it to all but one, Peter makes it to just one and a half. She doesn’t mind. He’s busy saving the world, or at least the city.

She does convince MJ to pick up gymnastics with her. It feels like they’re thirteen again, shrieking with laughter as they flip themselves upside down on the bars and purposefully try to trip the other while doing floor work.

They have weekly dinners with Aunt May and Ms. Watson. Kate prefers to act like her family doesn’t exist. May and Peter still fret over it a little, but MJ and Anna understand. Everything got better for them when Mr. Watson was finally kicked to the curb.

Kate’s just thankful that the three of them have as much family left as they do. It would have been so easy for May or Anna or both of them to decide that a three-way relationship was abhorrent and cut off contact. But they didn’t, instead opening their hearts and homes to the three as easily as they had when Peter, MJ, and Kate were just friends from school.

Everything is going along smoothly. Kate’s become the teaching assistant for the archery classes, and the teacher has started talking to her about national competitions. MJ found a pretty steady modeling gig, which will put her in contact with people who might be able to help her reach her dreams of being an actress in the future. Peter is almost done with his Masters’ degree and got out of his last supervillain fight with only a mild concussion and some superficial cuts and bruises.

Two days after Peter and MJ’s official wedding anniversary is the more important date, at least to the three of them. That was when, while on the honeymoon, they did their own, private, three-way ceremony. Peter and MJ might be married in the eyes of the government, but Kate, MJ, and Peter are all married in their hearts.

Of course, it’s during their anniversary dinner when the first earthquake hits.

* * *

Peter announces that he’s going to Fisk Tower two weeks after the first earthquake. He’s put all the pieces together, with help from MJ and Kate. Fisk is at the center of it - he’s building something that will tear the world apart if it’s not stopped.

Peter is Spider-Man, so of course he’s the one to stop it.

MJ and Kate kiss his cheeks and watch him swing away.

MJ makes two mugs of hot chocolate while Kate digs out the soft fleece blanket with Spider-Man’s mask on it. She’d bought it mostly as a joke, but it had become tradition to curl up under it with MJ and hot chocolate when they knew Peter was headed off to a big fight.

Kate had tried to follow him, once, after he had told them he was Spidey. Only once. He’d been  _ furious _ when he had seen her, shouting at a nearby police officer whom he knew to  _ “get that girl out of here NOW!” _

Intellectually, MJ and Kate had known that Gwen Stacy was Peter’s former girlfriend, and she had died when Spider-Man wasn’t able to save her. They knew that Peter was Spider-Man. The information hadn’t emotionally connected until that night, though, when Peter had come back much later and instead of being angry had collapsed into heaving sobs.

" _I told Gwen not to follow me, and she didn’t listen, and she died. Please - please, Kate, MJ, I need you two to swear on whatever is most important to you that you’ll never,_ **_ever_ ** _ follow me.” _

They kept their promise. They stayed away from Spider-Man - they stayed out of danger as much as possible. They sat on the couch, legs tangled together under the Spider-Man blanket, holding hot chocolate and each other’s hands.

Afterwards, after the tremor that shakes the city and blacks out their power, after the second wave that could only come from a massive explosion, MJ and Kate grip each others hands too-tightly and don’t blink as the TV turns back on, resuming the news coverage of the seismic activity.

When MJ’s phone rings, too loud in the quiet apartment, they exchange glances that are full more of panic than relief. Peter never calls while he’s in the mask, not unless something is  _ really _ wrong.

“Hello?”

_ “Mrs. Parker?” _

“Yes - who is this?”

_ “I’m Police Commissioner Wilkins. I’m afraid I have some bad news, ma’am.” _

They know, already. Deep in their hearts, they knew as soon as the second tremor hit. But Wilkins keeps talking into the silence, giving the official call.

Spider-Man didn’t survive the explosion.

Peter Parker is dead.

* * *

They knew it was a possibility every time Peter swung away from the fire escape, but that doesn’t make it any easier. He’d even made them sit down and talk about it one time - the idea that he might not always come back. That MJ would be thrust into the public eye, as his legal wife. That May would be, too, and so it would be Kate and Anna’s job to keep the two of them standing. His gaze had softened and he had ended by quietly assuring them that nothing would make him happier if the two of them decided to get legally married to each other after the fact. That they were  _ both _ his girls, and if he wasn’t there to make them smile and roll their eyes, at least they would have each other.

Kate writes MJ’s public eulogy on her request. That way, even if Kate can’t stand next to her and deliver it, she can have a hand in the heartbreaking business.

The crowd of Spider-Man masks that look back at them from in front of the church is both heartbreaking and rejuvenating. Heartbreaking for the reminder that she’ll never see the right face under that mask again. Rejuvenating for the reminder that everyone is grieving with them, that Spider-Man will be remembered for the hero he was, for the good he did, for the people he saved.

Speaking of… they need to find out if the explosion destroyed Fisk’s machine. They need to make sure that Peter didn’t die in vain.

Kate leans over to May and whispers, asking if she and MJ can stay with her for a bit.

“You don’t even need to ask, sweetheart.”

* * *

The first one to show up is a young girl with a big robot.

“I'm Peni Parker. I'm from a different universe. I need your help.”

Peter had always put helping other before anything -  _ everything _ \- else.

The pig who calls himself Peter Porker is definitely weird, but manageable.

“You remind me of my friend, Kitty Bishop. Best aim on the planet!” he says proudly.

MJ breaks when a man in black and white shows up. He's not  _ their _ Peter, not by a long shot, but he's closer than a tween girl and a talking pig and it's just too much, too soon.

“You stay here,” she says, pressing a kiss against Kate's forehead. “I know you - you feel like you need to help. Stay here, with May and all of them. I just… I need to get out. I'll go stay with my mom for a little bit.”

“Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?” She would, if MJ asks, and they both know it.

“I'm sure.” She smiles so gently it breaks Kate's heart. “Go save the world or whatever. Just promise you'll come back.”

“I will.”

MJ is long gone by the time the doorbell rings late that evening. Kate gets up to answer it, because May looks like she'll collapse if she has to speak to more well-wishers.

“Hey guys, thanks for your concern, but we're not taking anymore visitors today.” Her breath catches in her throat. Because that's  _ Peter _ . She barely even registers the two kids standing next to him because  _ Peter _ is there, looking older and more tired and more run-down, but it is unmistakably  _ Peter _ . And he looks adorably confused.

“Uh, Kate? What are -?”

She doesn't let him finish his sentence, launching herself off the porch and into his arms. He holds her, more out of muscle memory and instinct than any sort of emotional connection, but she doesn't care at the moment.

“ _ Peter _ .”

“Uh, yeah, uh, so, this may come as a shock,” he says, awkwardly patting her back. “But I'm actually -”

“From a different universe. You're not my Peter. I know. I don't care. Shut up and let me hug you.”

“...okay then.”

* * *

The girl in a white and pink spider suit is named Gwen Stacy, and she only seems a little confused when Kate pulls her into a hug almost as tight as the one she gave Peter B. The boy in a cheap Spider-Man costume and a hoodie is named Miles Morales, and he was there the night  _ their _ Peter died. Kate holds him close and whispers her thanks to him, that Peter didn't die without any friends nearby.

May leads the newcomers to what Kate and MJ always referred to as Peter’s Evil Lair, to meet the other Spiders and come up with some sort of plan. Kate stays in the house, pressing her forehead against the chill refrigerator door and breathing deeply. The sight of Peter B. was almost too much for Kate - she can’t imagine what it would do to MJ.

Therefore, Kate is the only one around when Miles stumbles out of the shed.

“Oh - uh - sorry, I, uh, I didn’t -” he stammers when he opens the back door and sees her in the kitchen, eyes red when she turns to look at him.

“It’s fine,” she says, giving him a tired smile. “Are you okay?”

His arms cross defensively over his chest and he looks to the side. “I… yeah. I’m good.”

“You’re an awful liar.” She leans back against the counter. “Gonna need to work on that, Spider-Man.”

“Stop,” he says, suddenly exhausted beyond his years. “I’m not Spider-Man. I don’t know if I ever can be. The others certainly don’t think so.”

Kate drops into a frown. “What happened?”

“Nothing. They just - I know I’m not cut out to be Spider-Man. I’m no Peter Parker.”

“No, you’re not,” she agrees. “But aren’t there enough Peter Parkers running around? Maybe what we need now is a Miles Morales.”

“What do you know about it?” He’s angry, at himself and the world for putting him in this position, so Kate doesn’t take the bitter tone to heart.

“Because I met another version of myself one time. Long story,” she adds at his bewildered look. “She told me that she was a superhero in her universe - that in every other universe she’d been to, Kate Bishop is either a superhero, or a supervillain. I was the first Kate she’d ever met who was just…  _ Kate _ . And after she left, I thought about it. She didn’t have superpowers. She was just like me, only with more training.” She shrugs, a little self-consciously. “I realized the only thing keeping me from being like her, like so many other Kates, was a little bit of time and effort. I don’t know if I can call myself Hawkeye yet, but I know I will one day.”

“But what does that have to do with -”

“In every other universe, Hawkeye is Clint Barton first. I’ve figured that much out. And in every other universe, Kate Bishop takes up the mantle after he dies, either for real or faking it. But here? Here, Clint Barton died in a tragic accident when I was eleven. I’ve never met him. He was never a superhero. So I’m winging it. I’m just saying,” she says, giving him another soft smile. “Maybe this is the universe for shaking things up. Maybe here, Kate Bishop can be Hawkeye without sharing the name, and Miles Morales can be Spider-Man.”

* * *

When the others emerge not long after, Kate is waiting for them. More out of habit then anything, she focuses on Peter B, because there are differences of course, but he’s still the most similar to  _ her _ Peter.

“What did you do to that boy?”

“Nothing!”

“Then tell me why I had to convince him that he wasn’t ruining everything just because he  _ happened _ to get superpowers that he never asked for!”

The one in black and white that she and May have taken to referring to as Noir steps forward. “He’s just not ready - he couldn’t even get back up when -”

He barely dodges Kate’s punch. Damn spider sense. “He’s a KID!” she shouts. “If he’s more than thirteen years old, I’ll eat my favorite boots! None of you were born with your powers, and if you try to tell me that you had perfect control over them in less than a week, you’re liars!”

“Kate -”

“ _ Peter B. Parker if you try to ‘Kate’ me again I’ll punch you so hard you’ll end up back in your own dimension the hard way.” _

He holds up his hands placatingly, actually looking a little concerned about her possible ability to do just that. “Listen, let’s just talk, okay? I’ll tell you everything and you can yell at me instead of everyone.”

That almost makes her want to punch him even more because, god, that’s just such a  _ Peter Parker _ move. Always taking the hits so no one else has to.

“Fine,” she snaps. “Outside. Now.”

She stands in the backyard just looking up at the stars for a long moment, taking deep breaths of the frigid air.

“I have faith in Miles,” Peter B. says suddenly, breaking the winter silence. “I know he’s got what it takes. But you’re right - he  _ is  _ a kid. He’s scared, and he doesn’t know how to control his powers yet. Right now… right now it’s for the best if he stays away. If he stays  _ safe _ .”

It’s easy, familiar even, to lean back against the broad warmth of his chest. He stiffens, obviously unused to her presence, but doesn’t push her away. After a moment, he even sets his hands on her shoulders.

“They  _ hurt _ him.”

“I know,” he says heavily. “And I don’t like that they did. But now Miles will stay far away from the Kingpin.” A pause. “You know, the Kate Bishop in my universe is never this, uh… touchy? No, no, sorry, not touchy, shit, uh…”

“Calm down, Parker,” she snorts. “I know what you mean. Your Kate isn’t this tactile with you?”

“Tactile. Yes. And, uh, no, she isn’t. Honestly, I didn’t even know her until recently.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She’s one of the new kids - Young Avengers they call themselves. And I think she’s also a P.I.? Or trying to become one.”

“A P.I., really?” She thinks about that. She could do that, probably. And as a P.I., maybe she could actually do something about all the dirt she’s found about her dad over the years.

“Yeah. What about you?”

She takes another deep breath, closes her eyes. “I grew up with my Peter and MJ. MJ and I fell in love - it was easy to fall for Peter, too. They got married publically, and then all three of us in secret.”

“All  _ three _ of you?”

“It’s called polyamory, look it up.”

“Sorry, I’m not uh,  _ bashing _ you or anything. Just surprised, is all.”

“Who taught you about bashing?”

“I’m not  _ that _ old.”

She lets it drop. If she keeps her eyes closed, she can almost pretend the last few days never happened, that she and Peter are simply getting some fresh air while MJ shows May and Anna her latest audition tape inside. A precious moment, trapped in a bubble, one that she wants to treasure as long as possible.

Peter B. pops the bubble all too soon. “Not to sound like a dick, Hawkeye, but why weren’t you-”

“If you finish that question, you will  _ unquestionably _ be a dick.” She sighs. “I’m not Hawkeye. Not yet, at least. I only took up archery a year ago. I couldn’t have saved him, even if he hadn’t made MJ and I swear to never, ever follow him.”

“...oh.”

* * *

She goes to MJ that night, unable to look at Peter B. any longer, and gives her an update on the situation.

“Five of them? Are you serious?”

“Six, if you count Miles. Or, just four, if you’re only counting the Parkers.”

MJ is quiet for a long moment. “I can’t believe Gwen Stacy is - holy  _ shit!” _

Kate jumps and turns to look at the window, only to find the girl in question waving at them from the fire escape. “What the  _ fuck, _ Gwen?” she asks as she opens the window.

“Sorry,” Gwen mumbles as she carefully slips into the room. “I just… couldn’t take being in the house with all of them any longer. Can I, uh, can I hang out with you guys for a little bit? If not, it’s fine, I just, well, I don’t have a lot of friends back home, ‘cept for the band, and our lead singer is MJ, and I just… This was a bad idea, I’ll go, I’ll leave you guys alone, I’m sorry -”

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay,” MJ says putting a hand on Gwen’s shoulder and effectively stopping her dead. “You just startled us, is all. You’re more than welcome to stay for awhile.” She leads Gwen over to the bed. The three arrange themselves in a loose circle, MJ and Kate waiting for Gwen to speak while she fidgets with her gloves.

“You’re pretty different from my MJ,” Gwen finally says.

“Yeah?”

“She’s… loud. Obsessed with being cool. She can be mean, or downright cruel, if someone isn’t going her way.” Despite the unflattering picture, Gwen smiles as she talks. Obviously, she’s close to this other MJ.

“Loud, annoying, pushy… no, I think that sounds about right,” Kate teases, poking MJ’s shoulder. “You even tried to convince me to start a band with you that one time in high school, even though I have less than zero musical talent for anything other than classical stuff.”

MJ laughs. “I guess there are a few constants across the multiverse - Mary Jane Watson wants to be heard, and she’ll always end up being close to a Spider-Person, no matter who it is.”

“Oh shit, I wonder if there’s a universe where  _ you’re _ the Spider-Person.”

“Probably,” Gwen says, finally smiling. “Apparently, everything is possible. I mean, Spider-Ham?” She shakes her head. “I still can’t believe that  _ I’m _ the outlier here.”

“What do you mean?” Kate asks.

Gwen blows out a long breath and runs a hand through her hair. “Five out of seven Spiders are Peter Parker, in some form or another. It’s… disorienting.”

And, oh, Kate recognizes that look in Gwen’s eyes. It’s the same one she sees in MJ and May and Anna and herself.

“You lost your Peter,” she says softly, reaching out to place a warm hand on Gwen’s knee. “Didn’t you?”

She nods, eyes watering. “It was my fault,” she says, voice wavering. “It was  _ Spider-Woman’s _ fault. She’s -  _ I’m _ wanted for murder back in my dimension.”

Kate and MJ can’t hold themselves back at that - they both move forward to envelop Gwen in a joint hug, trying to pass along some small amount of comfort through touch and warmth and their very presence.

“Gwen,” Kate says after a long moment, her cheek squished up against the side of Gwen’s head. “Does  _ anyone _ know you’re Spider-Woman back home?”

“No,” she says, muffled by MJ’s shoulder. “I - I  _ can’t _ , it would -”

“Put them in danger?” MJ finishes. “Gwen, you’ll make yourself sick if you keep this all inside you.”

“Not to mention the injuries I’m sure you get,” Kate adds. “We patched up Peter every week. It’s  _ always _ easier to bear the pain if someone else lends a hand.”

“But -”

“No buts,” MJ said sternly, pulling back to meet Gwen’s eyes. “When we get you back home, you’re going to tell someone. Anyone.”

“I’d suggest MJ, though,” Kate throws out with a smile. “She might seem, what was it? Loud, mean, obsessed with being cool? She might  _ seem _ that way, but you’ll never find a more loyal friend.”

“I’d try to find Kate Bishop, too, if I were you,” MJ says, lightly shoving at Kate. “She’ll watch your back, especially if she’s already Hawkeye.”

Gwen lets out a small laugh at their casual affection. “I don't know if there's a Kate in my universe.”

“Hard to say,” she shrugs. “But if she's there, she'll help you out.” She pauses. “Unless it's the one who works for Hydra. She's a  _ massive _ bitch, apparently.”

“What?”

MJ snorts and makes herself more comfortable on the bed. “Sit back, Gwen, and let Kate tell the story of the time she had a milkshake with herself.”

* * *

May calls them the next day. “ _ Do you think Anna has room for one more?” _

“What happened?”

“ _ Liv.” _

She doesn't need to say anything else. Olivia Octavius has been a thorn in their sides for years. When she arrives with a small bag, she has an invitation in hand, too. Wilson Fisk is having a memorial dinner for Spider-Man, and he wants May and MJ to be there.

“I think you'll find more use for this,” she says, handing it to Kate with a disgusted look. “He's up to something. Stop him.”

Kate considers the invitation. “Hey, MJ, you still got that cute little black and red number that you wore to that benefit last year?”

“Yeah, why?” She looks over Kate's shoulder at the invitation. “No - no, Kate, I am  _ not _ going to any event hosted by  _ Fisk _ , especially not a damn memorial for Peter!”

* * *

“I cannot  _ believe _ you,” MJ hisses under her breath as they enter Fisk Tower.

Kate doesn't respond. They had been having this conversation ever since leaving their apartment. MJ looks just as amazing in the dress as Kate remembered.

For herself, Kate had found a simple black dress with purple accents. Everyone was giving MJ, and by extension Kate, so much space that it was easy to drop the bag she had brought behind a potted plant in the corridor without raising suspicion. And if one of the guards  _ did _ get curious, there was a box of tampons, a bottle of aspirin, and a makeup case at the top. Beneath that was just what seemed to be a change of clothes.

_ “If you do wanna take up archery,” the other Kate suggested, using a spoon to scoop out the cookie crumbles from her milkshake that have collected at the bottom, “I suggest investing in a collapsible bow. I can’t tell you how many times it’s saved mine or Clint’s asses. Oh, and if you run into Noh-Var, definitely nab his high-tech alien bow, it’s the fucking best. He’s also a pretty good lay, if you’re into that.” _

Kate was  _ not _ ‘into that,’ but she had taken the other’s advice in regards to the collapsible bow. It was tucked under the change of clothes. There wasn’t much to be done about the arrows and quiver, so she just had to hope that the tampons scared off any guards that happened to look inside.

Fisk’s speech is beyond just being in bad taste, and Kate has to physically look away to avoid breaking something when he says “I just want to thank Mary Jane Parker for being here this evening.”

She’s glad she does, because that’s when she spots them. The waiters are all wearing Spider-Man masks (which is another thing she deeply wishes to punch Fisk for), and so the group behind her…  _ almost _ blends in.

MJ gets up, as even her acting abilities can’t handle Fisk’s awful speech any longer, and Kate takes the opportunity to stand as well, sidling up next to Peter B, who has stopped dead and is staring after MJ.

“I  _ know _ how pretty she is, but you gotta keep moving, idiot,” she hisses, pushing him a little. “Yes, if you can just show me where the bathroom is,” she says at a slightly louder volume, trying to avert any suspicion, “that would be wonderful, thank you.”

“But, I just - one minute -”

_ “No, _ Peter,” she whispers, grabbing his arm as tightly as she can, tight enough to make him wince under the mask. “The only thing that talking to her right now is gonna do, is make  _ both _ of you upset. She told me last night that if she actually  _ sees _ another Peter Parker right now, she’s going to have a breakdown. Do you want to do that to her?”

He drops his head, staring down at the table that Kate is pretty sure is actually Peni and her robot. “...no.”

_ “Good,” _ she mutters, jerking on his arm again. “Now, come on, we need to  _ move.” _

“Okay, okay,” he sucks in a breath. “I - ooh!”

Kate glances over her shoulder and bites back a groan.

“Hello,” MJ says, voice impressively steady. She knows who she’s in front of - who else could it possibly be? Kate had  _ told _ her about Peter B. “I was just checking on my friend.”

“K-Kate?”

“Yeah,” she says, and though Kate is standing right next to him, her eyes never leave the mask. “I needed to make sure she was okay.”

“Of course,” he says, voice hoarse. “I’ll - I’ll take good care of her. I won’t let anything happen to her, ever.”

“Promise?”

The word seems to break him a little, though Kate is impressed at how steady MJ is holding. They’re clearly not  _ actually _ talking about her anymore.

“Yeah,” he rasps. “I promise. Nothing will ever hurt her again. Including me -  _ especially _ me.”

MJ nods slowly. “Okay,” she says. “I’m gonna hold you to that… Mr. Parker.” The name is almost inaudible, but the look in her eyes clearly says that she’d hunt him down across the multiverse if she had to.

Peter B. nods rapidly. “I wouldn’t expect anything less… Mrs. Parker.”

She smiles and finally looks at Kate, who smiles back. “Be safe.”

“We will,” she whispers. “Get out of here.”

“I will.”

And then she’s gone, disappearing back into the crowd, and Kate and Gwen finally succeed in turning Peter towards the door.

The floor shakes slightly under their feet, and Kate and Gwen exchange a worried look.

They’re running out of time.

* * *

In the time is takes for Kate to change into her suit, Fisk finishes his speech and exits the hall, taking his private elevator down to what has to be the lab and collider.

They follow him, the other spiders jumping down the shaft without reservation. Peter B. wraps an arm around Kate’s waist before doing the same.

“This is gonna be bad,” he tells her.

“I know.”

“And I  _ have  _ to stay behind - the panel can’t be reached from the ground, I gotta shut it down.”

“That’s fine.”

He cuts her a suspicious look from behind the mask. “You’re not gonna try to argue with me?”

Kate shakes her head. “No. I’m here for one reason, to make Fisk pay. I’m not gonna try to argue heroic bullshit with  _ Peter Parker. _ You do what you gotta do, and as long as you stay out of my way, I’ll stay out of yours.”

She’s so tired. Grief exhausts a person like nothing else in the world. She’s just fulfilling a promise of her own, and he can understand that.

“Okay, Hawkeye. You’ve got a deal.”

* * *

The world explodes around them, but Kate doesn’t have time to think too much about it. She’s firing arrows as fast as she can, trying to hold her own against the goons and the B-List villains Peter used to complained about all the time.

There are buildings and cars everywhere, each breath feels like pure luck. What is she  _ doing _ here - she’s not like the rest of them! She’s not a  _ superhero _ , no matter what the other Kate said. She’s got no powers, very little training, and as it stands,  _ she’s _ supposed to be the backup, here, so there’s no one else on the way.

Kate reaches back and her hand closes on thin air.  _ Out of arrows _ . She sucks in a breath as she sees Tombstone approach, and shifts her grip on her bow, ready to swing it like a baseball bat, when -

_ fssss-tunk! _

Kate blinks at the arrow that lands between her feet.  _ Now that’s a deus ex machina. _

She yanks it up and puts it on the string, and she thinks she hears someone shouting, but it’s probably just her imagination.

_ “What the  _ **_fuck,_ ** _ Bishop, that was one of mine!” _

_ “Well,  _ **_you_ ** _ weren’t doing shit!” _

The arrow doesn’t pierce Tombstone’s skin, of course, but the hit to his shoulder makes him turn enough to pick out a new target, and he charges after Noir.

Kate lets out a breath, feeling her hand shake a little now that she doesn’t have an arrow in it. She looks down and just focuses on breathing for a long moment.  _ Oh my god, I’m alive. _

At least MJ wouldn’t take up black magic to resurrect both her  _ and _ Peter just so that she could kill them herself, now.

She looks up and sees the spiders - including a small, black-suited one that must be Miles - gathering around the panel with a blinking green light. As she looks, Peter B. glances down and sees her there, on the little scaffolding platform. He hesitantly raises a hand and waves at her.

Kate smiles, giving him a lazy salute in return, and turns to go.

This isn’t her fight. It never really was - she’s not ready for this. She got lucky with that last arrow, and it’s highly unlikely that she’ll get lucky again.

Time to go find MJ, and wait for the new Spider-Man to crawl through their window. She won’t be any help to him if she gets herself killed here.

Kate slips the bow into her empty quiver and slips away through a side passage.

* * *

Fisk Tower collapses, and Kate’s heart is in her throat for several long minutes until she hears a  _ thwip-thwip-thwip _ and sees a small, black-suited figure swinging away from the rubble.

_ He’s okay. _

She pulls out her phone and calls MJ.

_ “So? Is the day officially saved?” _

“You know, I think it is,” Kate says, turning and walking away from the crowd of police, baddies, and civilians. “Everyone’s back where they belong, I think, and New York’s new hero is still swinging.”

MJ let out a sigh of relief.  _ “Good. And I managed to snag some leftovers before leaving the party, so hurry up! The-World-Isn't-Ending party at my mom’s. May is already here.” _

Kate laughed softly, glancing up to see a small figure perched on a nearby roof, having his own phone conversation. “Sounds like a plan, babe. See you soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> There is a prequel (mostly finished), an alternate PoV (also mostly finished), and possibly a sequel (still very rough) that will all be posted later! Thanks for reading!


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